NFTs offer astronauts 'new outlet' to share experiences, says spaceman Scott Kelly

After celebrities, athletes and politicians jumped into the nonfungible token (NFT) mania, the growing industry has pulled in a veteran astronaut to share his time in space through NFTs.

In a Cointelegraph interview, Scott Kelly, a retired United States astronaut, shared that he has a “growing curiosity” about blockchain technology and NFTs. According to Kelly, he has been keeping an eye on blockchain for six years and has seen its potential.

“I have developed a growing curiosity on how it will play a role in space development, which is something I would love to be a part of,” said Kelly. Because of this, the astronaut wanted to introduce himself to the NFT community and contribute to charity.

The veteran spaceman recently released an NFT collection titled, "Dreams Out of This World," that reimagines Kelly’s space journey through several digital artworks. The drop sold 3,333 NFTs and collected $500,000 in sales, which will go to the nonprofit Global Empowerment Mission (GEM) to help people affected by the war in Ukraine: 

“The Ukraine crisis is something I hold very close to my heart, which is why we will be donating 100% of the proceeds from the initial sale through GEM in support of Ukrainian relief.”

While Kelly admits that there are many other ways to help, the astronaut is thankful that launching an NFT collection allowed him to help victims of the crisis. “I feel grateful to be launching a project at a time that allows me to support them in a way I may have not been able to do on my own,” said Kelly.

Kelly also hopes that his entry into the world of NFTs may encourage other astronauts to explore the industry as well. He told Cointelegraph: 

“NFTs can offer astronauts a new outlet for sharing their experiences as opposed to posting this on the internet where it can quickly be lost in the shuffle.” 

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Meanwhile, a Web3 initiative called Reli3f raised $1.5 million for Ukrainian aid efforts. Through its second NFT collection, the project raised funds that will be distributed to various charities focusing on the Ukrainian crisis.